Park happy with Asian football's progress

Bengaluru, March 26: Asian football is growing by leaps and bounds and the 2018 Russia World Cup will see five teams from the continent playing at the quadrennial extravaganza for the first time.

South Korea's three-time World Cupper Park Ji-sung, who was once the flag-bearer of Asian football, is happy to see the progress the teams from the continent have made over the years and feels it bodes well for the sport as a whole.

"I think it's great for the Asian continent. It means a lot to Asia and you can say Asian football has improved," Park was quoted as saying in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website when asked about the historical achievement of the five teams from the continent competing in a FIFA World Cup for the first time.

Park Ji-sung on historic five Asian teams in the 2018 @FIFAWorldCup! pic.twitter.com/naIlHVEMKU

— AFC (@theafcdotcom) March 25, 2018

At Russia 2018, the AFC will be represented by champions Australia, runners-up South Korea, 2002 World Cup co-hosts Japan, Middle East superpower Saudi Arabia and Iran, who are making it to this level for the second time in a row.

Park had a stellar seven-year club career at Manchester United where he won four Premier League titles in addition to a UEFA Champions League crown. Currently he is an ambassador with the Old Trafford-based club.

Recently, he was also appointed as youth football programme director at the Korean Football Association.

S. Korean football legend has big expectations of Park Ji-sung in new role https://t.co/Hm9t636sdI

— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) March 26, 2018

In the previous World Cup in Brazil, Asian teams failed miserably as none of them could reach the knockout stage.

But Park feels Asian teams are capable of a better shown in Russia compared to Brazil.

"All groups are tight and of a very similar level. Hopefully the Asian teams get better results than the last World Cup."

The 37-year-old was a member of the South Korean team which entered semifinal and finished fourth in the 2002 World Cup which the country co-hosted with Japan.

Park scored in all three consecutive tournaments that he played (the first South Korean and only second Asian player to do so) and is currently Asia's joint all-time leading goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup with three goals, alongside compatriot Ahn Jung-Hwan, Australia's Tim Cahill, and Saudi Arabia's Sami Al Jaber.

In Russia, South Korea have a tough task in hand as they are drawn in Group F which features defending champions Germany, Mexico and Sweden.

The Taeguk Warriors' best performance at the World Cup level is the semifinal appearance in 2002.

They did not do well in the subsequent editions. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, they failed to advance past the group stage.

Four years later in South Africa, they crossed the first hurdle, but lost to Uruguay in the round of 16.

In Brazil 2014, they fared poorly and crashed out in the group stage with the dubious distinction of not winning a single game.

Park, feels South Korea can do better this time and should target reaching the knockout round first.

"Hopefully they can reach our goal which is to pass the group stage but it isn't an easy task.

"But it's the World Cup and anything can happen. We believe in ourselves and will try to make it happen. So fingers crossed!," Park concluded.